TOKYO: The Japanese government is considering postponing the launch of the distribution of some 80 million additional cloth face masks to nursing care homes and other facilities, health ministry officials have said.

It is now uncertain when the government will start the distribution program, which was initially slated to begin late this month to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the officials.

The necessity of the project has been questioned as the supply-demand balance for face masks has improved in the country.

The ministry had planned to finish the additional mask distribution by the end of September.

The government’s cloth mask distribution to all households in Japan was completed in June, while meeting criticism over the slow distribution and the supply of some defective masks.

The government is also close to finishing the distribution of a total of some 60 million cloth masks to nursing care homes, facilities for people with disabilities, kindergartens and other establishments on two occasions, starting in April and in June. Including the coming program, workers and users of these facilities are expected to receive seven pieces each.

According to the ministry, the amount of the contract for the project of giving out masks to nursing care and other facilities stood at around 24.7 billion yen and that for the all-household distribution program at some 26 billion yen.

JIJI Press